Top Gear (2002– )

Jeremy, Richard and James talk about everything car-related. From new cars to how they're fueled, this show has it all.

Stars:

Richard Hammond, Jeremy Clarkson, James May

11 wins & 12 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Richard Hammond	...	Himself - Presenter (163 episodes, 2002-2013)
Jeremy Clarkson	...	Himself - Presenter (160 episodes, 2002-2013)
James May	...	Himself - Presenter (150 episodes, 2003-2013)
Ben Collins	...	The Stig (102 episodes, 2003-2012)

Storyline

Jeremy, Richard and James talk about everything car-related. From new cars to how they're fueled, this show has it all.

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Plot Keywords:

Entertainment | Automobile | Motor

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Genres:

Comedy | Talk-Show

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Details

Official Sites:

BBC America [us] BBC [uk]

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 October 2002 (UK)

Filming Locations:

Dunsfold Park Aerodrome, Dunsfold Park, Dunsfold, Surrey, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min 60 min (2002-)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The show is famous for its humorous features. These have included

• TV Chef Jamie Oliver making a tossed salad in the back of his Porsche-engined camper van whilst it was being raced around the test track by The Stig.
• Car Darts when James May and Richard Hammond were launching cars by compressed air into a quarry and onto a target (which was made juicier by the addition of a caravan in the bullseye).
• Russian Roulette when Hammond and May worked for Taxibike and gave comments on the cars they drove their clients home in.
• The Toyota Hilux where they attempted to see what it would take to break one of these trucks (it was parked in the sea for a full tidal cycle, set on fire and finally put on top of a tower block that was subsequently demolished) - despite their best efforts the thing still started and moved.
• The use of a Boeing 747 at full thrust against a Citroen 2CV and various abuses against caravans.

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Quotes

Jeremy Clarkson: We start tonight with the highlight of my childhood. It's the Ladybird Book of Motorcars from 1963, and as you would imagine it's full of rubbish really. Just endless boring grey shapes, until you get to page 40, where you find the Maserati 3500 GT. Now this for me, when I was little, was like kind of Jordan and Cameron Diaz. In a bath together. With a Lightning jet fighter. And lots of jelly.

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Connections

Referenced in Troldspejlet: Episode #39.15 (2008)
Jakob Stegelmann mentions the tv-series in his review of Gran Turismo 5: Prologue (2007) (VG)

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Soundtracks

"Jessica"
(uncredited)
by Dickey Betts

User Reviews

You don't even have to like cars....

Yes, this show is about cars, but then again it isn't. Mostly it's about extremes of opinion, dreams and fantasies, dares, one-up-man-ship, and taking everything just a little bit further. And it's also entertaining - very entertaining, which is what television is meant to be, and so often is not. I'm not all that interested in cars, and my son doesn't even drive, but we both love the show, and watch it religiously.

The balance of presenters: Jeremy, the loud-mouthed, cuttingly funny, over-bearing older guy; Richard, the young, cute, quirky, adolescent one; James, the sensitive, quiet, contemplative, intelligent one; is nothing short of genius!

It seems that no expense is spared, either on the experiments and dares, or on filming, and this adds to the visual experience. This show is funny, even hilarious at times, classy, controversial, and hugely entertaining. Most people I know who watch this show know almost less than nothing about cars, and I think that says a lot about how successfully this program reaches beyond the expected demographic of young male petrol-heads.